Corn harvesting mechanism



May 3%, i950 T. w. JOHANNSEN 2,509,737

CORN HARVESTING MECHANISM Filed Feb. 28, 1947 2 Sheets-Sheet l T. w. JOHANNSEN 2,509,737

CORN HARVESTING MECHANISM V 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Feb. 28, 1947 Patented May 30, 1950 UNITED STATES PATENTOFFICE CORN HARVESTING MECHANISM Thorwald W. J ohannsen, ,Buckgrove, Iowa Application February 28, 1947, Serial No. 731,679

1 Claim. 1

This invention relates to corn pickers and more particularly, it is an object of the invention to provide a means for assuring that cars of corn will pass freely from the husking rolls of the corn picker to the elevator thereof.

Corn pickers are frequently of a construction employing husking rolls disposed in side by side parallelism with an elevator, the latter being for the purpose of conveying husked ears of corn upwardly for delivery to a wagon. In such corn pickers a trough is employed for receiving husking ears from the husking rolls and for guiding such ears to the elevator. Frequently such troughs become jammed with ear of corn; this is especially so when the ears are wet or of an unusually large size, the ears tending to slide less freely across the bottom of the trough and to pile up, jamming and frequently overflowing the trough.

It is, therefore, another object of the invention to provide a plate disposed above the bottom of the trough for receiving ears of corn from the husking rolls and means actuated by other moving parts of the corn picker for causing the plate to reciprocate to cause the ears to flow freely from the husking rolls to the elevator.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a reciprocating plate, as described, which is drivably secured to that rotating shaft which is normally transversely disposed adjacent the lower end of the elevator of a corn picker for driving the endless belt of the latter.

Other and still further objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment thereof.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a top plan view of a portion of a corn picker showing a reciprocating plate and driving mechanism of the present invention disposed in a trough of the corn picker, the elevator, husking rolls and trough of a corn picker and mechanism of the present invention being shown in full lines, the corn snapping portion of the corn picker being shown in dotted lines, certain portions of the corn picker being shown in dotted lines;

Figure 2 is a side elevation of the corn picker elevator, husking rolls, and trough, with the present invention attached, a wheel of the corn picker being shown in dotted lines, and a portion of the trough being broken away; and

Figure 3 is a frontal elevation of that portion of the corn picker shown in Figure 2, shown with the mechanism of the present invention attached thereto, certain portions of the trough being broken away.

The device of this invention is for attachment to a corn picker of a conventional construction, the latter being generally indicated at H] in Figure 1. The corn picker I0 is of the type shown and described on page 24 of the catalog of Harry Ferguson, Incorporated, Detroit, Mich., the catalog and the corn picker shown being referred to as the Wood Bros. Corn Picker WB-i-P.

The corn picker I0 includes a pair of oppositely disposed guides as shown in dotted lines at l2. The guides l2 are for receiving corn stalks therebetween and are normally provided with snapping rolls or augers, not shown, for breaking the ears of corn away from the stalks thereof. The corn is then delivered by a conveyor I l to a husk- .ing mechanism partly enclosed in the housing l3. The husked ears are then carried forwardly by a husking mechanism conveyor 14 having flights; IS, the conveyor I4 being considered a part of the husking mechanism, and the latter husks the corn. The cars then fall from the forward end of the conveyor l4 into ahopper or trough Hi.

The trough I6 is transversely disposed with respect to the direction of travel of the corn picker l0 and is provided with an inclined bottom including two inclined bottom portions I! and I8, surrounded by a side wall 20. The inclined bottom portions I1 and I8 of the trough I6 are disposed in different planes, as best seen in Figure 2, the said planes being transversely disposed with respect to each other. The upper bottom portion I1 slopes downwardly and transversely of the corn picker l0 toward that side of the corn picker 10 on which a later described elevator I9 is disposed. The lower bottom portion I8 is inclined downwardly toward the rearward end of the corn picker ii] and toward the elevator 24. A triangular bottom portion 2| is welded or otherwise suitably secured to the bottom portions I1 and I8 in a vertical plane to complete the trough bottom. The upper bottom portion H is disposed The lower end of the lower inclined bottom portion [8 is disposed above the lower forward end 22 of the upwardly inclined elevator l9, the latter being disposed in side by side parallelism with the husking mechanism conveyor 14. The lower end of the upper bottom portion I! and the upper end of the lower bottom portion I8 are preferably disposed at the same height.

Corn, from the husking mechanism conveyor 14, normally falls by gravity upon the upper end of the inclined bottom 18 and slides toward the lower end thereof and into the elevator [9. The corn is then carried by the flights 26 of the endless belt of the elevator l9 upwardly and rearwardly into a wagon, not shown.

The device of this invention is for the purpose of assuring that corn will slide freely across the inclined bottom [8 of the trough l6 and includes a reciprocating plate 38 disposed above the upper portion I! of the inclined trough bottom. The plate 30 is similarly inclinedly disposed and may be in parallelism with the upper bottom portion IT.

The plate 30 is preferably of a generally rectangular shape and is provided with an outer cire. cumference complemental to the adjacent end of the trough 16. The plate 30 is of a lessersize than the outer circumference than the adjacent Walls of the: trough [6 for the purpose of spacin the plate 3!} from the walls 2c of the trough iii. to permit the reciprocation of the plate 30.. b twe n the wallsio. The plate .351 may be provided with fish scales," or the like, on itsupper surfaces. Such fish scales. would be stair-stepped downwardly toward the lower end, of the reciprocating plate so and would facilitate the. movement of corn in one direction only across the plate 3%}.

Means are provided, by the invention, for causing the. plate .30 to reciprocate or agitate, such reciprocation causing. means including ,a. plurality of fingers 32. Each of. the fingers 3 2 is rivet.- ed, or otherwise suitably secured at one of its ends: to the. plate 30 as best shown at 3.4. The

oppositev ends of the. fingers32 are each disposed through one of a plurality. of suitable slots 3.6 in the side walllll of the trough ii. That portion of the wall 20, which is provided with. the slots 36, is preferably flat or disposed in a. single plane, thatv plane extending at an acute angle with. respect to'the direction of, travel of the corn picker [0. The forward end of the wall portion 40 is. disposed towardthat side of the corn picker I'll onwhich the elevator 19. is situated. The longitudinal axes of the slots .36. are in alignment with each. other. and are disposed in' parallelism with, theplatesfl. In lieu of the finger 32, obyiously a, single solid member may besubstituted; and a single largeaperture or slot may be employed in, place of the several slots. 36.

A -reach, rod 42 is secured at oneof. itszendsto the other :ends of the finger 32'. Theother. ends of the reach rod flextendsl forwardly and .to

that side of. the corn picker oftwhich the elevator:

ter extends forwardlyand upwardly from the. 7

lower end of the elevator l9. The bar da may be. welded .or otherwise suitably secured t0 the outside 'of the lower forward end, 22. of; the clear vator l9.

0n the upper end of the shaft 44 onearm of the bell-crank mechanism. is rigidly secured...

The arm. 50 is pivotally attached by suitable means. indicated at:52 ,'to the iorwardend of the reach rod 42. The otherarm 5.4.ofthebelhcranlr;

' to be obvious that a corn harves m mechanism is rigidly secured to the lower end of the shaft 44 and a bar 56 is pivotally secured by suitable means shown at 58 to the arm 54 of the bell-crank mechanism.

The arms 50 and 54 are so disposed with respect to each other upon the shaft 54 that the arm 50, although moving, will at all times be positioned at generally a right angle with respect to the reach rod 62 and the other arm 54 will be at all times positioned in substantially a transverse position with respect to the direction of travel of the corn picker l0.

Corn pickers of the type described are usually provided with a shaft transversely disposed with respect to the direction of travel of the corn pickers, the shaft fill being positioned at the forward lower end of the elevator H! for driving the endless belt of the latter. The shafts, such as 60, are usually drivably secured to other moving parts of the corn picker ll! such as, for instance, the wheels; fill h reof s hat a mes en t oompielser is; in operat on. he shaf 60 W l. H tatex The sh r iii: will nor a y e tend certain d stan e outward y from he s e o the le e In e p ac ice eithe present inven on a collar 62. is. disposed about the outwardend oil the shaft i and rigidly secured theret e c lla .81 isprovidecl with an ear s4 outsiand nsatonesid thereor, the.- ear 6-4. bein p ov ded w th. an. anon tare, forreeeivinga suitable pin et. The, latter ecicentricaliy disposed with respe to. the sha t or. The rearward e d of the ba 56 ism-e i ed with a. flattened anert red or .5 to: receiving the pill 66! Astliu des i i s; in

., S. 35 Q e l d,-

, th less belt of the elevator wardhi V v will be fial 1 from t erwerd nd crztne. missin :heehaa sm eon eyer 141-. As the corn falls. out: of the bushing irrecha sin. eon- 7 veg-or izll githe ed u on the plate .38; and will be: caused, by the timer thelatteti to move freely dawrnt d the lowerbetle tom. portion. no Will. be is. to a tin @fiflfififiitjIQ- es -io o su h nism in such a. man

caigse c aeitot rocal'ionof the plate it is thought .me hapism, constructed; inc accordance. with, my invent" p, is artieularlywell for use by r asonlorthe convenience and id ty assembled and op.erat;ed, and it v.

oushthat. my. invention is. s

ise-. arrangement and formation of the several parts herein shown in carryinggoutz intention; in practice. except. as claimed.

Iclai'm: In, acorn huslzer haying a frame; anl'mskins; mechanism ror separatingv ears. of. cornironrthe husks thereof; elevator-longitudinallydisposed, with respect to said corn. picker for conveying hushed: ears upwardly for: delivery 12 5,31. 'Wt 'mh saideleyatorzbeinez inclined downwardhr toward rely andizn r the front of said corn picker, said elevator having an endless belt, said husking mechanism and elevator being disposed side by side, the forward end of said elevator being disposed lower than the forward end of said corn huskin mechanism; and a shaft transversely disposed adjacent the lower end of the elevator for driving said endless belt: means for facilitating the movement of ears of corn from said husking mechanism to said elevating mechanism comprising a trough transversely disposed across the forward ends of said husking mechanism and said elevator, said trough having an inclined bottom, the higher end of said bottom being disposed below the forward end of said husking mechanism, the lower end of said bottom being disposed above the lower end of said elevator, said trough having slots therethrough; a plate disposed above the bottom of said trough and below the forward end of said husking mechanism, said plate being inclined toward the lower end of said trough, and said plate being of a lesser length than said trough; a reach-rod secured at one of its ends to the other end of said fingers; a bell-crank mechanism ro- THORWALD W. JOHANNSEN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 741,868 Witte Oct. 20, 1903 1,386,207 Sissel Aug. 2, 1921 1,556,016 Norral et a1 Oct. 6, 1925 1,699,955 Cope Jan. 22, 1929 2,011,925 Benjamin Aug. 20, 1935 2,255,168 Hyman et a1 Sept. 9, 1941 

